We are an Amador County-based sustainable agriculture business founded to (1) provide local jobs and (2) to solve local agriculture problems. Our growing product line maintains these focuses. We started with our first product, the Amador Barn Owl Box, created to leverage the traditional Barn Owl for rodent control – nature’s way. The box is affordable and is:
· Designed specifically for the common Barn Owl
- Handmade out of wood by Amador County craftsmen
· Available for mounting on a pole or in trees or structures
· Delivered fully assembled in Amador County with no shipping fees
· Ready to Mount. Location and Installation assistance are available.
More About Us
We are full time residents of Amador County who, in addition to a love for our rural area, want to add value to the community while
sustaining a lifestyle of our own choosing. Unfortunately, the 2009 business downturn dramatically reduced demand for high skill work;
leaving craftsmen with way-underutilized wood working shops.
The founder’s #1 goal was to provide jobs. We searched for a product that could (a) be built by local craftsmen with (b) locally available
materials for (c) local consumption. Discussions with local grape growers and vintners led to the Barn Owl Box product. As one grower put it, “The return on investment for this sustainable rodent control approach is incalculable,” and it can be fabricated in local shops with locally available materials.
The Barn Owl's value to farming - plus the increasing interest is green agriculture techniques - bodes well for our little company.
We met Dr. Martin Cody, UCLA Professor Emeritus, when he spoke on "The Twelve Species of Owls in Amador County" at the Rotary Club of
Plymouth-Foothills. A phone call confirmed that we were on the right track and, more importantly, Martin volunteered to
help us design the boxes. This has provided great confidence in our products as well as great friendship.
Mission
Our mission is two-fold.
1. Economic. Our primary objective is to provide work for Amador County craftsmen, increasing local cash
flow which will increase quality of life in the County. Additionally, we've increased yield
for growers, and reduced rodent control spend. Collectively, this in turn, means a greater supply
of product, e.g. high quality sustainable farmed grapes for Vintners.
2. Green Agriculture. We provide an environmentally friendly approach for controlling rodents,
significantly reducing crop loss with minimal use of chemicals.
The Problem
Every year tons of grapes are lost to rodents. One study indicated that “rodent damage remains significant despite the use of pest
control methods. Many valuable crops were damaged heavily and the economic impact was likely large.” (Karen Gebhardt et al.
Department of Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA)
The results of another study indicate that damages from rodents remains high for many crops and are likely to be economically significant
within the state of California. Rodents: Vols, gophers, Rats not only damage plants at the root, shoot and leaf level, but also attract other
annoying pests like snakes while siphoning off irrigation water for their own consumption and into tunnels.
The Solution
Rodent Control - Nature’s Way
Due to increasing rodent populations and a need to reduce chemical use in the field, the use of barn owls in agriculture is rapidly increasing.
The Barn Owl is one of the most efficient hunters on wings. A family of barn owls will consume up to 3,000 rodents in one year (a single
adult owl will consume up to 1,000 pocket gophers in a year). The owls can be more effective than poison for rodent control.
According to the California Fish and Wildlife Service: “For the pocket gopher…barn owls…represent a substantial biological control.
Research work in California….showed pocket gophers represented over 50 percent of the barn owl diet representing an average of
215 gophers ‘taken’ during the breeding and nestling phase….”
Think about it. The farmer spends approximately $200 and nature takes care of the rest.
Price and Position
Our goal is to offer the highest possible value by building a highly functional no-frills product while keeping overhead low.
Amador Barn Owl Box products are designed and built to be a high value product and is fairly priced. The Barn Owl Box is designed
with assistance from a local nationally recognized owl expert, Dr. Martin Cody, as a nesting environment for Barn Owls found in Amador
County. The design is simple, allowing sturdy, efficient and professional hand crafting with locally available woods and hardware.
The box is made of external grade plywood; It does not use petroleum-derivative plastics. It is of rugged construction, built to last a long time.
Our mission is two-fold.
1. Economic. Our primary objective is to provide work for Amador County craftsmen, increasing local cash
flow which will increase quality of life in the County. Additionally, we've increased yield
for growers, and reduced rodent control spend. Collectively, this in turn, means a greater supply
of product, e.g. high quality sustainable farmed grapes for Vintners.
2. Green Agriculture. We provide an environmentally friendly approach for controlling rodents,
significantly reducing crop loss with minimal use of chemicals.
The Problem
Every year tons of grapes are lost to rodents. One study indicated that “rodent damage remains significant despite the use of pest
control methods. Many valuable crops were damaged heavily and the economic impact was likely large.” (Karen Gebhardt et al.
Department of Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA)
The results of another study indicate that damages from rodents remains high for many crops and are likely to be economically significant
within the state of California. Rodents: Vols, gophers, Rats not only damage plants at the root, shoot and leaf level, but also attract other
annoying pests like snakes while siphoning off irrigation water for their own consumption and into tunnels.
The Solution
Rodent Control - Nature’s Way
Due to increasing rodent populations and a need to reduce chemical use in the field, the use of barn owls in agriculture is rapidly increasing.
The Barn Owl is one of the most efficient hunters on wings. A family of barn owls will consume up to 3,000 rodents in one year (a single
adult owl will consume up to 1,000 pocket gophers in a year). The owls can be more effective than poison for rodent control.
According to the California Fish and Wildlife Service: “For the pocket gopher…barn owls…represent a substantial biological control.
Research work in California….showed pocket gophers represented over 50 percent of the barn owl diet representing an average of
215 gophers ‘taken’ during the breeding and nestling phase….”
Think about it. The farmer spends approximately $200 and nature takes care of the rest.
Price and Position
Our goal is to offer the highest possible value by building a highly functional no-frills product while keeping overhead low.
Amador Barn Owl Box products are designed and built to be a high value product and is fairly priced. The Barn Owl Box is designed
with assistance from a local nationally recognized owl expert, Dr. Martin Cody, as a nesting environment for Barn Owls found in Amador
County. The design is simple, allowing sturdy, efficient and professional hand crafting with locally available woods and hardware.
The box is made of external grade plywood; It does not use petroleum-derivative plastics. It is of rugged construction, built to last a long time.